Restless Legs Syndrome Information

Restless Legs Syndrome is a disorder characterized by disagreeable leg sensations, usually prior to sleep onset, that cause an almost irresistable urge to move the legs.

What Does Restless Legs Feel Like?

RLS sufferes say it feels like:

a "crawling" sensation

a "creeping" inside the calves

aches and pains in the legs

an urge to constantly move the legs

What Relieves the Symptoms?

The only thing that seems to relieve the discomfort is to move the legs. streching them or getting up and walking around on them. Unfortunately, this interrupts the sleep cycle, so people with RLS are often very tired from lack of sleep.

What Can Be Done to Help RLS Sufferers Sleep?
First of all, a sleep study (polysomnogram) is done to determine the cause of sleepiness. Once RLS has been diagnosed, mediction can be prescribed to relieve the symptoms.

The RLS Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit agency dedicated to supporting as many as 12 million people who suffer from RLS and to educate the medical community that this disorder is physical and treatable.

The Journal of Family Practice studies RLS --
Do patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have clinical correlates that suggest classification into subgroups with differing prognosis? What are patients' preferences regarding pharmacological treatment?